Frances Révész-Ferryman

Frances (Ferensz, Fransz) Révész-Ferryman
(1893 Boedapest – 1983 New York)

Architect, painter, woodblock printer and New York stampdealer.
Student of Walter Sickert & Frank Brangwyn

Frances Révész-Ferryman studied in the University of Architecture in Budapest (Hongary) but also studied painting under Walter Sickert (1860-1942) and Frank Brangwyn (1867-1956) in London. From London he emigrated to America in 1923 with his wife and son and went to live in Little Neck, New York.

From his lifelong hobby of stamp collecting he made his living starting the F.R. Ferryman Stamp Business located across New York’s Public Library on 5th Av. He continued painting in oils, watercolor and pastels all his life.
His exhibition record showing some 30 one man shows, in the New York area, but also included are Australia and shows in Chicago, Philadelphia, Dresden, Budapest and others.
His work is represented in many museums around the world and appreciated for its modernistic style and wonderful use of color.

According to an exhibition catalogue of a retrospective of his work in 1968 he won numerous awards.

Frances was evidently, and as you can see here in this posting, a wonderful woodblock printer. I brought together all his printwork I coud find (there is one more but the picture of the two cockatoo's is not very good) . It is difficult to compare his style and use of color with works of colleagues or contemporary printing artists. The poultry and birds printed by Martin Erich Philipp (1887-1978) coming to mind, as does William Giles (1872-1939) and Walter Klemm (1883-1957). Maybe some of his prints bare resemblance to the works of American visionary bird painter Jessie Arms Botke (1883-1971).

(Is there is a hint in Martin Erich Philipp's Cardinals (1924) inspiring Ferryman to his colorful bee-eaters?)

Before short I had never seen nor ever came across any of Ferryman’s wonderfull prints or paintings. And very recently I am very happy to have acquired one of his prints next to my mainly flower prints.

I think it is time to shine the light on these obscured woodblock marvels. Surely there are more prints by his hand. These are the ones I dug up and share today. They are all from the late 1920 and early 1930's and I would like to know more about edition numbers. The dancing print is 12/20, so probably his editions weren't very large.

Please let me know if you know of others, I will show them in a separate posting later... His oil paintings sometimes show up in auctions and are priced in the "couple to several thousand $$ region".

Emigrating to England and the USA Ferensz Révész probably than extended his Hungarian family name in Frances Révész-Ferryman (Révész is Hongarian for Ferryman).

PS: sometimes 1947 is given as the year of death but that is obviously a mistake.

Ginger jars and flowers, Part I

Ginger jars and flower still life. Part I

Anke Brokstra
Contemporary Dutch opera singer and painter.

Nasturtiums in old blue ginger jar

I’ve had for a long time the wish of doing a posting on this subject, one of the most pleasing and aesthetic combinations for over a century in still life art. I find. What better time than autumn to enjoy the ginger jar filled with autumn flowers: anemones, nasturtiums, chrysanthemums, Chinese lanterns, a branch with red berries or rose hips?

A survey into the historical context and wondering about this composition, endlessly repeated by Dutch painters, to be perhaps a local affair or an international recognized theme.
There are, but not many, examples on woodblock prints. So a selection of paintings in oil will have to do the illustrations.

It is told that a student of Jan Voerman sr. (1857–1941) on her way to the studio lessons saw on a boat a large soda-filled pot with the “most exquisite blues and grays” and telling her teacher about it. On his advice she went back and she was allowed to buy the pot from the woman on the boat and she brought it to the studio where it served as a painting ornament in floral still life lessons. The pot later came in the Voerman family and Jan sr. painted it. (above)

His son Jan Voerman jr. (1890-1976), from the Verkade Albums (see the earlier posting) also contributed a wonderful ginger jar composition. (left).

They were among the first of the modern Dutch painters to use the decorative strenght and beauty of the ginger jar. And Vincent, and many others ofcourse.

The classic Quin dynasty (1644-1912) glazed pots were both used as storage and gift pots. Holding and storing preserved vegetables, herbs and spices, not only ginger. And used as New Year gifts. Chinese New Year, not parallel with western N.Y. but later so often decorated with spring symbols.

Or wedding gifts decorated with the Chinese “double happiness” symbol (right).

Or just plain, rural storage or export pots. With a few strikes of blue glaze only

I think two main and plain types, regularly seen, can be distinguished. Besides the luxury and richly glazed and decorated pots.

The deep green glazed 6 sided jar and the classic round grey-bluish glazed and sometimes with a rougher grey/blue/green glaze (picture)

Bertha Plekker-Müller (1883-1968) Narsturtiums in Ginger jar (right)

The 6 sided green type is very widely spread and around in huge numbers. In the Netherlands. I hardly see them in other countries. They must have been more related to some export products. There is not much literature on this matter to be found. Many paintings were produced (1880-1940) with this type of jar, fairly exclusively by Dutch turn of the century and Arts and Crafts period painters.

Who hasn’t started a collection of these jars, the nicest ones to find are the green-bluish ones, with chunky and fat glazes. Many have an age old feeling and often are really quite old (18/19th century) You can pick them up at any carboot sale for next to nothing.

The bluish grey classic Chinese pot is also a characteristic but not an exclusively Dutch find. I see them in England but hardly if ever in France or Germany. But maybe I am wrong.

This type of decoration and or motif often is seen in Dutch pots (right)

They are regularly and often offered as findings in 18th/19th century city dumps and archeological excavations. Having a matching lid raises prices considerably. But who needs a lid?

The extra patina from their stay in the ground even enhance their decorative value. (left)

These type of jars/pots are still affordable but never dead-cheap fleemarket finds.

Closing this Part I is again a contemporary and internationally renowned Dutch still life painter: Henk Helmantel (1945- ) and his Autumn Jar with rose-hips composition.

I can understand readers will feel that after reading this posting they cannot live without such a decorative necessarie in the autumnal house and will immediately start hunting for a nice specimen.

To be continued soon...............

Octobert 17th:

The artist Anke Brokstra who kindly gave permission to use the lovely first picture of this posting told me the original painting in oil is still for sale at € 600.

Blankenburg

E.G. (Bert) van Heusden1901-1983
Doctor, painter, poet and linocut printer

In 1586 permission was granted to build a house and a decoy to catch wild ducks on a newly formed sandbank in the immense Dutch river delta. First inhabitants were tenants Dirk Ariensz. Bisdommer and his son. 20 years before the first dikes were constructed to claim new land in the river Maas.

Other parts of the island and later adjacent sandbanks were also embanked and made dry (poldered). The Dutch way, claiming and reclaiming land, colonizing and working it. 60 years later a first church was build around a thriving agricultural community.

The Island grew slowly and moved naturally into the direction of the North sea. Thus blocking the passageway between Brielle and Maassluis, two of the Netherlands oldest cities. A road was build across the island to connect new ferry heads. New communities came to life. The island was named Rozenburg. The village, with a church, cemetery, school, village hall and doctors house: Blankenburg.

The wild western part of the Island was mainly formed by the sea after the digging and completion of the Nieuwe Waterweg (New Waterway) in 1872. Rotterdam's canalized outlet to the North Sea. This part of the island was called de Beer (the bear) also known as Bird Island. In the 1920’s some 150 species of birds were counted here.
This bird and wildlife sanctuary world famous in the Netherlands. Jac.P. Thijsse, Dutch naturalist and Verkade Album contributor, wrote about it. A nature reserve in the heart of one of the world’s busiest parts and ports.

Until the 1960’s. Most of the island was evacuated, farmhouses demolished and all was covered with 6 meters of sand to create Europoort: the world’s largest seaport of Rotterdam.

The sad thing about progression is that it is unstoppable. A society, a whole world and way of living vanished. Were once farmers farmed, people loved, died and were burried now endless rows of oil storage tanks and refineries dominate the horizon and mammoth ships dock.

There are not many pictures left of the old island situation. Some maps, of course. Everything is mapped in the Netherlands. Some drawings and some old photo’s. This Google Earth photo showing how man is capable of changing his environment.

Then, some years ago I haggled from a second hand bookshop dealer a bundle of small linocuts. On the other side of the country.

Very elegant and artistic pictures. Farmhouses, a ferry-dam, a church, the river Maas. The cover page also cut in linoleum in stylish Art Deco characters: Een land onder het mes (A land under the knife). The makers signature a mystery. Only last week his identity was revealed to me..

Linoleum Snedes en Druk van E.G. van Heusden. When you know it you see it and can read it. Bert van Heusden after medical school started his career in 1926 as the Islands doctor. As I did exactly 50 years later. Other Island. The cover and title of his album a clever and humorous clue to both his artistic and professional careers.

An estimate is he made the prints around 1930. I have no idea of the edition size of the album. This one is numbered 04.
He was an amateur painter and wrote poetry as well. His painting was regarded professional and his poetry during his lifetime highly respected and loved.

In later life doctor van Heusden specialized in rheumathic diseases and disorders. Bert van Heusden died in Arnhem in 1983.

Could he have foreseen cutting in linoleum and printing his images of a 400 year old landscape on thin Japan paper that was to disappear forever only 30 years later?

To honor him I show you all of his 12 chosen and vanished monuments of

BLANKENBURG (1568-1965)

You are invited to leave a comment when you enjoyed this posting as I did making it or otherwise found the reading interesting.

Double mouse-click on most pictures for larger images

If you are really interested: these prints are for sale, matted and framed, contact me at: g.caspers@hccnet.nl

Cacti and the Color Woodblockprint; 3/3

Adolph Dietrich Swiss

(1877-1957)

a Swiss naive painter

painted this gothic arrangement of flowering cactusses. Strangely this snake cactus (also not a cactus but considered a tropical rainforest epiphyte) is very a widespread and respected houseplant. In Switserland. Very common in farmhouses. The exuberant style he used to paint these flowers is characteristic for all block-printers who decided to show-(off) their efforts on this plant.

To my surprise researching this posting, I discovered that cacti on woodblock prints are almost exclusively prints of Epiphyllums. The exotic and exuberant flowers and symmetrical leafforms clearly very inspiring to Arts and Crafts printers.

I've found only one print of the Christmas or Easter cactus on a woodblock print. Charles Rennie MacKintosh’s (1868-1928) Scottish artist and architect made this watercolor painting (right) which I consider maybe the most delicate rendering of such a plant. Hugo Noske did the print (left).


Epiphyllums are a family of leaf-cacti. Not real cacti but epiphytes, native to the Amazon rainforest. Very much a grand-mothers plant. They grow in trees, like ferns and orchids. Not parasitizing but often in symbiosis. Easy in care, exotic and giving color in Northern houses in the darker seasons: grannies kind of plants. Just like the other family of leaf-cacti: the Christmas and Easter Cacti or Zygocacti. To lure them into flowering (yes, around Xmas and Easter, you have to store them cold for a period of time. Thriving on neglect they are both easy and very rewarding house plants.

Hugo Noske (1886-1960) gave his best. He tried four (!) times, all of them very exuberant and extravagant prints. Almost overstated renderings. Stunning. Like the plants themselves. But also very much the trademark of all of Noske prints. I love them. Desirable, covetable art. And I am not alone: rare, sought after and expensive nowadays!

The orange flowering with-a-seaview print (below) is often misnamed Tigerlillies. I wonder if Noske made this mistake himself. It looks like he owned the plant, and decided to do a remake of the earlier print later in life. He changed many things, the composition, the colors, maybe re-using some of the old blocks, maybe he started all over. It shows also his development in the printmaking. A nice puzzle. The first version is nice, the remake: Great Art.



Paul Jacoulet’s (1896-1960) art and life is widely reviewed and his Cacti are a marvel of technique, color and composition. He moved at a young age with his parents from Paris to Japan and was trained by Kazou Yamagishi. It is said that he used as many as 300(!) blocks for his color-prints using special papers that were made for him exclusively and he personally pulled every print. And only on subscription. Royal, Papal and Presidential class and owned only by such. Not art for the mortal collector. His prints (not only the cacti) are without any comparison and unbelievably beautiful.


Shirley Ximena Hopper Russel (1886-1885) an American artist living most of her life on Hawaii had just before WWII her prints published by Japanese publisher Watanaba Shozaburo and is mostly know for her Hawaii flowers prints. Also Great Art.


Alison Huston Lockerby Newton (1890-1967) born in Scotland and moved at a young age to Canada was trained at the Winnipeg Art School and by Walter Joseph Phillips, the man himself.


Martin Erich Philipp (1887-1978) besides famous for his erotic etchings and ex-libris' created some 65 all very wonderful prints. Hard to believe there is no book or cataloque on his work. He did mostly flowers and birds. This Epiphyllum, aloë, blue bowl and newspaper one of his more complex compositions. His prints vary in price from bargains to more exclusive depending on subject and/or seller.



Ernst Rötteken (1882-1845), the artist who decorated almost every house in the province of Lippe (Germany) with his prints also did the night-blooming Cereus: Queen of the Night. Greenhouses were opened to the public at night times to see this marvel. High quality art at affordable prices was his device. And he lived up to it printing all his life. Memorable. He more than earned his exhibition and catalogue in 2005 in the Landesmuseum in Detmold Germany holding a great collection of his prints.

Many of his illusive prints are never seen on the market and others every week. Some 50 are known and accounted for although even experts aren't quite sure. There is this little pre-WWII (ordering)cataloque showing 30 of his first prints in miniature but full-colors. It's offered on Ebay regularly. Go find it, it's on of those must have items!


Again, I know this oversight must be incomplete. But there is no other effort or example on this topic known to me. So please leave a comment or email me if you have knowledge of more color woodblock or linocut-prints showing cacti .
Or better pictures with higher resolution.

The list of black and white prints with cacti must be endless.

This compilation was made only for my personal and mutual amusement and without any scientific or scolarly pretentions.

And please take also in account that English is not my native language. Please correct me when I've made avoydable mistakes.